Season Two of the British series A Young Doctor’s Notebook premieres tonight at 10pm on Ovation TV, an American outlet for art and special series from abroad.
Based on the writings of playwright Mikhail Bulgakov, Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm star as Young and Older Doctor working in a small Russian hospital in 1917. Amidst the gore and patients constantly contracting venereal diseases, Young and Older Doctor try to keep their senses of humor in this black coming-of-age comedy about the beginnings of modern medicine. Here’s how you can (easily) catch up before tonight’s premiere.
Available On: Netflix (Season One) and Ovation TV (Season Two streaming available)
Number of Episodes: 4 in Season One at 22 minutes each
What It’s About: Daniel Radcliffe plays Young Doctor (how he’s referred to for now) who’s visited by his future self, Older Doctor (Hamm) to help guide him through his first doctoring job at a remote village hospital in rural Russia. Young Doctor graduated in the top of his class from med school, but he’s in over his head in the field. Older Doctor tries to help his younger self but has a few demons of his own to deal with — one of which being a brutal morphine addiction. Young Doctor, Older Doctor, and the hospital nurses are struggling to survive against the unforgiving winter as well as the threats of the ongoing Bolshevik Revolution.
Most Valuable Episodes: You can get away with skipping Episode 2, unless you enjoy watching excruciating leg amputations. Definitely pay attention in Episodes 3 and 4, which isn’t too hard because they’re short and sweet.
What To Expect In Season Two: Young Doctor tries morphine for the first time when he thinks he’s dying from appendicitis, so expect his addiction to be in full swing during Season Two, much to Older Doctor’s disappointment. Meanwhile, Older Doctor left us as he was going through morphine withdrawal in what looked like a mental hospital. We can gather that he’s lost his medical license for good. Expect his mentoring of Young Doctor to be kicked up a notch in Season Two. His real name is finally revealed.
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Photos: BBC/Ovation TV/Netflix